Portable exercise weight vest pack

ABSTRACT

A portable weight vest pack that is worn like a backpack and capable of carrying a standard weight plate. The weight vest pack is advantageously back-loaded to provide ease of movement and dexterity during workouts. The weight vest pack is made of lightweight sturdy material and collapsible to carry in a gym bag, suitcase or other bags when traveling.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/459,914 filed Dec. 21, 2010 which is incorporated herein inits entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to body vests used for exercising andworkouts. More particularly, the invention relates to a portableexercise weight vest that acts as a carrier for weight plates duringweighted workouts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of weight vests with pockets to hold and transport equipment andgear has been popular among athletes and sportsmen for a very long time.Load-bearing vests with specially designed pockets for carryingequipment and armor by military and law enforcement personnel are alsowell known in the art.

The gain in popularity of weight training as a method of exercise toshape the contours of specific areas of the body and build muscle masshas evidenced the need for the development of novel weight vests thatcan be worn over the torso during weighted workouts. Generally, the useof a weight vest with added weights inserted into pockets distributedthroughout the vest functions to increase the benefits of resistancetraining for the wearer of the vest. The weight vests of this kindgenerally have a front and rear panel and are structured to be worn overa wearer's torso as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,396 and U.S. Pat. No.5,002,270 or secured by some strapping means to the user's waist as inU.S. Pat. No. 5,810,699.

The various exercise weight vests in the prior art and available in themarket currently are predominantly customized vests that have individualweights loaded in small pouches through the entirety of the vest makingit cumbersome and impractical for transporting the vest during travelbecause of the excess weight generated from the sum of individualweights and the requirement of extra baggage for transporting them. Inaddition, a majority of such weight vests worn during weight trainingexercises are generally both front and back loaded. The carrying ofweights on the front of one's torso restricts range of motion forexercises like push-ups by adding extra bulk to the front of one's body.These weight vests also require the cumbersome task of periodic removaland exchange of custom weights in the pockets of the vest to achieve thenecessary balance in weights for the various workout sessions.

Exercise weight vests that provide the dual function of back-loadingstandard weight plates as well as being portable and ideally suited fortravel are not well known in the art. The present invention fills thevoid in the prior art for such a device with a unique design of acollapsible and portable lightweight exercise weight vest capable ofcarrying weight plates during weighted workout sessions and

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an improvement over prior art exercise weightvests. More specifically, it provides the dual function of beinglightweight and portable as well as being capable of back-loadingstandard weight plates for use during resistance exercises and weightedworkouts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweightcollapsible and easily transportable exercise weight vest.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the weight vest isstructured to be worn like a backpack with shoulder straps as well asoptional chest and waist straps to secure the vest to the upper torso ofthe body. In this embodiment of the invention, the weight vest pack isback-loaded with standard plate weights for resistance training. In thisembodiment of the invention, any standard free weight can be attached tothe carrier by means of two straps with buckles that are routed throughloops sewn to the back of the carrier.

In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the weight vest ofthe present invention does not require the need for the use of customweights. A standard weight plate of any size from any gymnasium can beattached to the back of the weight vest carrier.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the weight vest of thepresent invention is made of lightweight material and is constructed ina manner to be easily collapsible and stored for transport. In thisembodiment of the invention the collapsed weight vest can be packed intoa suitcase or other bag for transporting while traveling.

In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the weightvest is strictly back-loaded, providing ease of movement and dexterityfor exercises such as push-ups. In this embodiment, the light weight ofthe vest and its back-loaded feature makes it ideally suited for use bywomen athletes as there are no front-loaded weights and weight-bearingrestrictions to the chest. In some embodiments of the invention, theweight vest pack may be worn with the weight plate carrier facing thefront to load a standard weight plate to provide resistance training andworkout for the front of the body.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the weight vest ofthe invention has an approximate dimension of 19″H×4″W×¾″D and isconstructed of approximately three 5″H×4″W pieces of closed cell foamsewn into heavy duty fabric allowing it to be tri-folded. The sides ofthe carrier weight vest are reinforced by the insertion of approximatelytwo collapsible ‘tent poles’ into small pockets along the sides.

Although various features of the present invention may be described inthe context of a single embodiment, the features may also be providedseparately or in any suitable combination. Conversely, although theinvention may be described herein in the context of separate embodimentsfor clarity, the invention may also be implemented in a singleembodiment. In general, an embodiment is an example or implementation ofthe invention as conceptualized. The various references to “an exemplaryembodiment,” or “yet another exemplary embodiment” do not necessarilyall refer to the same embodiment(s). Rather, these references mean thata particular feature, structure, or characteristic described inconnection with an embodiment is included in at least some embodiments,but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention.

The features and advantages of the embodiments of the present inventionas described in this summary of the invention will be furtherappreciated and become obvious to one skilled in the art when viewed inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, detailed description of theinvention and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the portable exercise weight vest pack.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the portable weight vest pack with astandard weight plate attached to the back of the vest.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the back side of the weight vest pack.

FIG. 4 is a perspective rear view of the weight vest pack loaded with astandard weight plate.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the weight vest pack loaded with a standardweight plate.

FIG. 6 is an aerial view of the weight vest pack loaded with a standardweight plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a weight vest pack that can be used to attachand carry standard weight plates during weighted exercise sessions. Itis constructed of light weight heavy duty material that is capable ofcarrying standard to custom weights without breaking under stress. Whennot in use, it is collapsible and can be folded to fit in a small travelsack and carried in a suitcase or other travel bag, making it ideal forthe athlete who has to travel.

Referring now to the figures, more particularly, FIG. 1 a plan view ofthe portable weight vest pack 10 is shown with its exemplary features.The weight plate carrier 11 of the weight vest pack 10 has anapproximate dimension of 19″H×4″W×¾″D and is constructed of three5″H×4″W pieces of closed cell foam sewn into heavy duty fabric making itlight enough to be tri-folded and packed into a gym or travel bag. Thesides of the weight plate carrier 11 are reinforced by the insertion oftwo collapsible tent poles into narrow pockets running along both sidesof the carrier. The weight plate carrier 11 further has a carrier strap12 running through its center on the outside and has reinforcedrectangular rings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 strategically placed throughoutthe length of carrier strap 12. These rings also function to hold theweight plate on the weight plate carrier 10. The carrier strap 12 ofcarrier 11 through its top end engages with two shoulder straps 13 a onthe right and 13 b on the left and through its bottom end to a waiststrap 15 comprised of two sections 15 a on the right and 15 b on theleft. The waist strap 15 is held in place in front of the torso of thewearer of the weight vest pack carrier 11 through a waist buckle 16. Theshoulder straps 13 a and 13 b have two shorter straps 14 a and 14 b thathave an inter-locking mechanism that holds the front ends of the twoshoulder straps 13 a and 13 b in the front of the torso of the wearer ofthe weight vest pack 10. This exemplary embodiment of the invention ofthe portable weight vest pack 10 is meant to be worn like a back pack.

Referring now to FIG. 2 the portable weight vest pack 10 is shown with astandard weight plate 20 loaded onto weight plate carrier 11 of theweight vest pack. The rectangular rings 4, 5, and 6 on the carrier strap12 can be seen below the weight plate 20. In this embodiment, anadditional strap not shown in the figure helps to hold the weight plate20 in place over the weight plate carrier 10. In this embodiment of theinvention, any standard free weight can be attached to the carrier bymeans of two straps with buckles that are routed through loops sewn tothe back of the carrier. The shoulder straps 13 a and 13 b are broughtto the front of the torso of the person wearing the weight vest pack 10and locked in place in the front through straps 14 a and 14 b havingbuckles at their ends. The waist strap 15 through its sides 15 a and 15b are brought to the front of the torso and locked in place at the waistby the waist buckle 16.

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the back of the portable weight vest pack 10with its weight plate carrier 11, carrier strap 12, rectangular rings 1,2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, shoulder straps 13 a and 13 b, short straps 14 a and14 b, and waist straps 15 a and 15 b.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the weight plate 20 loaded on to anembodiment of the portable weight vest pack 10 of the invention. In thisembodiment of the invention, all other basic features of the portableweight vest pack 10 such as weight plate carrier 11, carrier strap 12,rectangular rings 4, 5, and 6, shoulder straps 13 a and 13 b, shortstraps 14 a and 14 b and waist straps 15 a and 15 b are retained.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the portable weight vest pack 10 of thepresent invention with a loaded weight plate 20. The weight platecarrier 11, carrier strap 12, rectangular rings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,shoulder strap set 13, shorter strap set 14, and waist strap 15 of theweight vest pack 10 are appropriately labeled and identified in thefigure.

FIG. 6 is an aerial view of the portable weight vest pack 10 of theinvention with a weight plate 20 loaded on to the weight plate carrier11 and additionally showing the carrier strap 12 and rectangular ring 1holding the weight plate 20 on the weight plate carrier 11. The shoulderstraps 13 a and 13 b, short straps 14 a and 14 b and the waist beltbuckle 16 can be seen in this view.

The foregoing description of the invention accompanied by the drawingsshowing the features and use of the weight vest should not be construedto limit the scope of the invention. It should be understood and obviousto one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention thusdescribed may be further modified without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

1. A portable weight vest pack comprising: a weight plate carrier; meansfor wearing the said weight plate carrier over the torso; means forsecuring and loading a weight plate on said weight plate carrier; andmeans for folding the said weight vest pack and carrying it in a gym bagor suitcase.
 2. The portable weight vest pack of claim 1 wherein themeans for wearing the weight plate carrier over the torso is throughshoulder straps and short straps held together in the front by buckles.3. The portable weight vest pack of claim 1 wherein the means forwearing the weight vest pack over the torso is through waist straps anda belt buckle.
 4. The portable weight vest pack of claim 1 wherein themeans for wearing the weight vest pack over the torso is through cheststraps and a buckle.
 5. The portable weight vest pack of claim 1 whereinthe means for securing and loading a weight plate on the weight platecarrier is through rectangular rings attached to a carrier strapdisposed on the weight plate carrier.
 6. The portable weight vest packof claim 1 wherein the means for securing and loading the weight plateon the weight plate carrier is through an additional strap over theweight plate.
 7. The portable weight vest pack of claim 1 wherein theweight vest pack can be worn with the weight plate carrier facing thefront of the torso to carry a weight plate.
 8. The portable weight vestpack of claim 1 wherein the weight vest pack is worn like a backpack. 9.The portable weight vest pack of claim 1 wherein the weight platecarrier has an approximate dimension of 19″H×4″W×¾″D and is constructedof three 5″H×4″W pieces of closed cell foam sewn into heavy duty fabric.10. The portable weight vest pack of claim 1 wherein the sides of theweight plate carrier are reinforced by the insertion of two collapsibletent poles into narrow pockets running along both sides of the carrierproviding the means for folding the weight vest pack and carrying it ina gym bag or suitcase.